The Elephant House
by mogi93
Summary: He lived inside the elephant and every night he would turn off the light and whisper to himself, "I'm home, 'Ponine". - AU/Modern AU towards the end, focuses on Eponine and Gavroche's relationship. One-shot.


_Hello people!_  
_This is my very first Les Mis fanfiction. I haven't read the book (I'm actually reading it right now but I've only read 20 pages!) so I'm basing my story on the movie. And some information I got from the internet. So, this is movie-verse. It's kind of AU...well, it is towards the end. Just read it, I'm bad at explanations! :P_  
_I just liked the idea to write something focused on Eponine and Gavroche :)_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Les Miserables or Eponine or Gavroche or anyone. Hugo does!  
__**A/N:** I apologize for my grammar, sadly english is not my first language!_  


* * *

For a small period of her life, she felt happiness or at least, she thought that was happiness. Her family was temporarily rich, one day a mysterious man came and took Cosette away, leaving money behind with them. Eponine had nice clothes, they never ran out of food and they had a roof over their heads. Eponine felt happy. But she soon figured out that happiness wasn't meant to last in her family.

Her father used to be nice with her, kiss her goodnight and tap her on the head whenever she smiled at him. When money slowly disappeared, he became mean and spent all they had in alcohol. Her mother just didn't care, she followed her husband around and soon forgot how to be a mother.

Eponine got used to that life. Strangely enough, the Inn still had customers and they still managed to live a decent life but things changed for the little Thénardiers. Eponine had to clean the Inn over the night and served tables during the day. She dealt with her father when he was drunk and took her mother's lumps when she said she had done something wrong. Eponine never once complained and never once let her parents touch her siblings. She was the oldest and she had to protect them. When the Inn closed for the night, Eponine started cleaning while her father drank with his friends, laughing and giving Eponine more to clean. They slowly fell asleep on the tables, like every night, and her father would stand up and beat her, shouting at her to work harder, to keep up the image. She told her siblings to hide in their room and play with their toys. She didn't want them around when her father took his anger out on her.

She then dropped on her bed and closed her eyes, her mind wandering off. What she once called life she now greeted with a smile in her mind while the memory played all over again.

One night, Eponine reached her room, tired and hurt. Her shoulder had a little cut but it didn't hurt that much. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and winced when she touched the injury. She was just ten years old and had lived that life for barely a year but she already got used to it. She heard someone cough heavily and when she turned around, she saw her little sister Azelma curled up in a ball, a hand covering her mouth.

"Azelma? What's wrong?" Eponise asked, kneeling beside her sister. Azelma trembled under the cover and Eponine touched her forehead. The second after, she was running down the stairs.

"Papa!" she shouted. He groaned and turned around in his chair.

"Go away" he said.  
"Papa, Azelma is sick" she said, pulling his jacket. He pushed her away and snorted.

"Go tell your mother" he said, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. Eponine ran to her parents' room and found her mother looking at her own reflection in the mirror.

"Mama, Azlema needs medicines" she said, kneeling beside her, her hands on her gown.

"We don't have money for medicines, Eponine, how many times do I have to tell you that?" she replied without looking at her.

"But mama, Azelma is sick, she needs a doctor" she insisted.

"Well, she can't have one!" she almost shouted. Eponine looked at her helplessly. She ran upstairs and took care of her little sister, trying to make her feel better. Her fever got worst and she coughed blood after a few days. Gavroche, little Gavroche, did not understand what was wrong with Azelma but did as Eponine told him. She was no doctor but she made her death bearable. Azelma died a week after and the Thénardiers buried her in the small garden behind the Inn. They didn't cry, Eponine and Gavroche did.

Eponine was crushed, her little sister was gone and her parents didn't care. Her life was unfair and cruel, yet she smiled. She smiled for Gavroche.

She took the habit to put him to bed and tell him some stories to make him fall asleep. She could read but they couldn't afford books. She had a vivid imagination and could manage to make up some cute stories for her little brother. He liked to listen to the elephant story.

"Do you want me to tell you the elephant story?" she asked and Gavroche nodded, smiling from under the covers. She sat on the bed and smiled.

"In a land far away from here there's a big elephant. He likes to walk in the streets and drink from the river. People are scared of him but he doesn't hurt anyone and slowly, he is accepted" she began. Gavroche listened carefully. "One day, he meets a mouse. He's tiny and gray, with a little black nose. When the elephant sees him, he smiles.

"Hello, little mouse" he says.

"Hello, big elephant" the mouse answers, shocked. "You're not running away" he adds.

"Of course not, why should I run away?" the elephant asks.

"Elephants always run away when I walk near them. I think I'm scary, people always run away when I'm around" the mouse answers with a sad voice.

"Oh, I think you're pretty, not scary" the elephant answers. The mouse is shocked and reaches the elephant's feet.

"Do you like me?" he asks.

"I don't know you yet but I think I might like you. Would you like to join me? I'm walking around the streets" he asks, looking into the lonely mouse's eyes. The mouse, happy that someone finally accepted him, began to jump around the elephant and the two animals start to walk. Soon, they get to know each other and they become best friends. The mouse is happy that someone did not run away from him and he found his home in the elephant's heart".

Gavroche was fast asleep now and she kissed him goodnight before blowing the candle off. She liked to tell the elephant story. In real life, they were the mouse and she hoped that one day, they would find their own elephant.

* * *

She thought her parents cared when they took them to Paris. She thought they wanted to distract them, to give them some peace after their sister's death. Azelma had been dead for barely two weeks when they visited Paris. But they didn't care.

Eponine felt like she could have her happiness back while she stood near the Seine, her face hit by the wind. They were together, the four of them, like a real family. Eponine had her mind full of happy thoughts, thinking about tomorrow; they could work it out, help each other, try again with the Inn, buy food and new clothes instead of alcohol. She was so caught up with her thoughts that she almost didn't notice that she had slipped on the wet floor. She hit her head and blacked out.

Eponine woke up in her bed, her head pounding. She touched her head and let out a sigh of relief when she realized she hadn't lost blood. No cuts, no bandage. It just hurt a bit. _They carried me home_, she thought, happily. They didn't leave her alone in Paris, they actually helped her. For a moment, she deceived herself that her family was a happy family. She looked around and saw that Gavroche was not in the room. She reached her parents downstairs and again, her little brother was not there.

"Oh, Eponine! How are you feeling? You hit your head pretty badly" her mother said.

"It hurts a bit. Where's 'Roche?" she asked.

"He liked Paris better than Montfermeil" her mother answered. Eponine stopped dead in her tracks, looking dumbfounded.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He left, his new home is Paris. Understood?" her father snapped, taking a sip of his drink. Eponine felt her heart pierced by sharped daggers and she tried to understand different words, but they were always the same; they abandoned Gavroche in Paris.

Once again, her parents didn't care. They didn't love. They didn't leave her behind because they needed her for their robberies.

For years, she fell asleep thinking of Gavroche, hoping he had found his elephant somewhere in Paris.

She felt hope again when the Inn closed and they were forced to leave for Paris. She hoped she would meet his brother, the only piece of her family she had left. When they arrived in Paris, fear hit her; was Gavroche still alive? He was five years old when they abandoned him on the streets. She believed in him, she knew he was strong but the street life was never kind to kids. Eponine spent the first week with her parents, settling down in their new apartment and adjusting to their new life. When she had a little bit of free time, she ran outside and looked everywhere in the streets; that's how she learned how to move around Paris.

After one month, she started to believe Gavroche had died and when she had given up hope, she found herself standing in front of a big elephant statue. Her mouth dropped open and she stood there for quite a while.

"Are you alright, Miss?" someone asked. She turned around and faced a blond, curly haired young man.

"Yes, Monsieur. I was just...looking" she answered. The boy nodded and Eponine turned her head towards the elephant again. A few moments later, she heard someone singing and the guy next to her spoke again.

"Gavroche, I believe someone's looking for you" he said. Eponine turned around and saw a little boy running towards him. His eyes were inspecting Eponine from head to toe, her eyes filling with tears.

"Gavroche!" she said, smiling. The boy, who had his guard up, dropped his arms and opened his mouth. He recognized the sparkling note in that voice, the way she said his name was familiar.

"Eponine?" he said. She opened her arms and hugged her little brother, kissing his cheeks, stroking his hair, telling him how sorry she was. Gavroche just smiled and listened, feeling her warm embrace particularly calming.

"How are you doing?" she asked when she finally let go.

"I'm good, 'Ponine! Life is hard but I don't complain. I've got a roof over my head" he answered, pointing to the elephant. Eponine looked at him, shocked. "When mom and dad left me here, I wandered around the city for a few days and then I found this statue. I liked it, I made it my home. I found my elephant, 'Ponine".

She begged to be taken inside and her brother showed her the way. It was his little home and he was proud of it. Dark fell over Paris and she told him she had to go back home.

"'Ponine!" Gavroche shouted, his head popping out from the elephant. "Be careful. Don't let father know about my home". Eponine smiled.

"Don't worry, Gav. I know my way around Paris!" she replied, disappearing into the streets. Gavroche smiled. He had found his sister again. And he felt happy.

* * *

Sometimes, he wished Eponine hadn't come to Paris. She fell in love with Marius and followed him like a puppy. Gavroche didn't mind, he actually got the chance to see his sister more often since his friends were Marius' friends. He teased her and she never listened, too focused on Marius. She tried so hard to impress him, yet he was blind. What he saw in her was just a good friend and he never once judged her for the life she was leading. Sometimes, Gavroche believed that Marius was Eponine's elephant. He accepted her for who she was but didn't accept her love, his blindness making him fail to see what was in front of him. Sometimes, he wished he didn't have a sister.

Eponine soon met Les Amis and Enjolras smiled when he recognized her from that day in front of the elephant.

"I see Gavroche's sister came to join our cause" he said. Everyone in the room, everyone who had just met Eponine, looked at her, surprise in their eyes. Even Marius was shocked.

"You're Gavroche's sister?" he asked and Eponine nodded.

"Of course she is, can't you see how similar they look?" someone behind Enjolras said. Eponine soon learned his name was Grantaire and she learned not to take his words too seriously. He believed in nothing and wine was his best friend.

When Cosette came back into their lives, Gavroche wished he was an only child. Eponine's love for Marius lead him into Cosette's arms. Gavroche saw pain in her eyes whenever Marius spoke of Cosette and even if she smiled, she hid sadness behind her heart.

When General Lamarque died, chaos reigned their lives. The barricade soon arose and Gavroche found himself fighting against soldiers. Bullets were flying everywhere, blood flooding from their injuries. Gavroche was passing his friends the weapons they needed when he saw Marius take a barrel of gunpowder and a torch.

"Marius, no! Marius, what are you doin'?" he shouted as he climbed the barricade. He saw a soldier aim to Marius, his finger almost pulling the trigger. Gavroche shouted again. "Marius, watch out! Come down!".

"No!". Someone had shouted. The soldier pulled the trigger. There was a shot and Marius was alive.

The soldiers backed away and rain started to fall. Gavroche felt his own world collapse when he saw Eponine remove her hat and her hand reaching for something in her pocket.

"Eponine! What are you doing?" Marius asked. Gavroche realized his sister took the bullet that was meant to kill Marius.

"I kept it from you. It's from Cosette. I'm sorry" she managed to say. Marius took the letter but his eyes landed on her body.

"What have you done?...you're bleeding!" he said, kneeling beside her. She smiled and confessed her love for him. Marius kept her close and she died in his arms, a smile on her face.

In that moment, Gavroche wished he was an only child. Rain covered his face and tears ran across his face. Courfeyrac put his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"That was my sister" he replied. He knew that they knew, he just needed to say it one more time before going on as an only child.

The barricade fell. He was hit by a bullet and the old man that saved Marius' life managed to save his as well. He recovered and lived with them for a few years but then decided life on his own was better. He grew up, became a man and always remembered his beloved sisters. He lived inside the elephant and every night he would turn off the light and whisper to himself, "I'm home, 'Ponine".

* * *

His little legs ran as fast as they could, leading the little boy to the bar he always visited. He ran across the street, cars honking as he passed in front of them without warning. He pushed the door open and smiled at his friends.

"Bonjour!" he said.

"Always causing much noise, aren't you, Gavroche?" Prouvaire asked from behind the counter. Gavroche smiled and sat on a chair, putting a notebook on the counter.

"I was just running" he replied, making everyone laugh. Gavroche was a twelve-years-old orphan living in Edinburgh. He was born with a French name and never got the chance to meet his parents, as he was abandoned a few days after his birth. He grew up with a burning passion for French. He was allowed to go around the city during the day, he was trusted to come back before dinner, and that's how he met Courfeyrac. He introduced the little boy to his friends and they welcomed him in their group. Soon enough, they found themselves teaching Gavroche what they knew, giving the boy some of their own knowledge. That day, though, was different.

Gavroche was reading a book when his attention was caught by a girl standing outside the door. She had long dark hair resting on her shoulder. Her gray coat was open and she held books in her arms. Her eyes were fixed on the bar's banner. She heisted a bit before entering.

"Eponine!" Marius said, looking at her. Eponine looked at her friends, surprised to find them there.

"Hi...I didn't know you worked here" she said, looking at Prouvaire.

"You found our secret lair at last!" Marius joked. "Why are you here?".

"I don't know...I read the banner and kind of felt like something dragged me here" she replied, quite confused. Her friends looked at her with curious looks and when she noticed the little boy, they smiled.

"This is Gavroche. He's an orphan and a friend of us" Enjolras said. Eponine quickly reached out to shake his hand, too quickly.

"I'm Eponine" she said. Gavroche shook her hand and both felt shivers run through their spines. "Have we met?" she added, not being able to contain her question.

"I'm not quite sure yet" Gavroche answered, smiling. Eponine smiled back and let go of his hand, sitting next to him. They talked and she helped him with the book and when dinner time came, she walked him back to the orphanage. He ran inside, waving her goodbye, telling her he hoped to see her more often at the Elephant House.

* * *

_So, this is it!  
I wanted to write something about the elephant. I don't know, I just liked it a lot.  
The Elephant House is a bar in Edinburgh, that's where Jo Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books! Well, that's where she started.  
This is just a one-shot - I'm no longer turning it in a multi-chapter story.  
Well, I'm shutting up now. Review, please? Maybe? :)_


End file.
